Nursing

Welcome to the Rend Lake College Nursing Department. We hope you will find the information needed to help you get started with a wonderful career in the nursing field. Specific questions about the application and admission to the program can be directed to Betty Jo Herbert, Director of Nursing at (618-437-5321 ext. 1706).

Schedule Testing

About Our Program

The Associate Degree Nursing Program is designed to prepare nurses who, as beginning practitioners, are able to give quality nursing care to clients and function as members of nursing and health care teams. Registered nurses are employed in hospitals, nursing homes, home health agencies, physicians’ offices, clinics, and community agencies.

The Associate Degree Nursing program is designed to provide career mobility with emphasis focusing on critical thinking, problem solving, decision making related to the clinical area, clinical reasoning and nursing judgment. Graduates will be prepared to practice professional nursing in a variety of health care settings.

To remain in the program, the student must achieve a grade of “C” or better in each nursing course. It is also essential to demonstrate competence in dosage calculations and math skills. The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation approve this program. Upon graduation, the student may be eligible to apply to take the NCLEX-RN (National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses).

Please see the Nursing Handbook for complete curriculum information.

Nursing Program Mission Statement

Our mission is to prepare Associate Degree Nursing graduates to become lifelong learners and to function as multidisciplinary team members; able to provide safe, competent care addressing the changing needs of individuals, family, and the community across the lifespan. This goal is accomplished through instruction and practice of nursing skills, use of critical thinking and problem solving, and demonstration of effective oral and written communication throughout the steps of the nursing process.

Nursing Program Philosophy Statement

The philosophy of the Rend Lake College Associate Degree Nursing Program reflects the mission and vision of the college; embracing cultural diversity and viewing each student as having inherent worth and potential. The program prepares the student for professional nursing roles and is a dynamic process that promotes the synthesis of information from evidence-based research through general studies, the sciences, and nursing experiences. Faculty members serve as facilitators of learning, provide guided experiential opportunities, and assist students to expand their knowledge and attain competencies, as well as furthering the development of professional roles and values.

Nursing education will be based on conceptualized learning and the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) core competencies of patient centered care, teamwork and collaboration, evidenced-based practice, quality improvement, safety, and informatics. Rend Lake College nursing faculty provide a learning environment that is student friendly and promotes professional commitment and self-direction.

Rend Lake College Associate Degree Nursing Graduate Outcomes

Upon completion of the second year of Rend Lake College’s Associate Degree Nursing Program, the student will:

Assimilate and apply the nursing process to provide holistic, culturally diverse, patient-centered care to individuals, family, and community across the life span.
Collaborate effectively with the interdisciplinary team across the healthcare continuum.
Examine evidence-based practice for nursing interventions that are appropriate for diverse populations with multi-faceted healthcare needs across the lifespan.
Manage healthcare for the individual using cost effective nursing strategies, quality improvement processes, and current technology.
Delegate and deliver safe nursing interventions in collaboration with the patient and family, utilizing leadership principles to provide competent patient care.
Integrate healthcare information technology in nursing practice to improve the quality and safety of patient care throughout the nursing process.
Illustrate the need for personal accountability and professionalism as defined in the ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses.

Special Admission Requirements For Two Year ADN Nursing Program

Admission of a student to the Associate Degree Nursing program shall be based solely on the qualifications of that student. College and state admissions policies are used to determine theses qualifications. All students wishing to enter the new two year ADN program must meet the following as minimum requirements:

Submit a completed Rend Lake College application form.
Submit a completed Associate Degree Nursing program application.
Be a graduate from an accredited high school or have successfully completed the GED exam.
Submit official transcripts from all high schools (or official GED test scores) and post-secondary institutions attended.
Achieve a competitive score on the pre-entrance exam for the ADN program.
Complete English 1101 with a grade of a "C" or better.
Complete Math 1407 or higher unless math placement scores meet the following criteria:
ASSET Intermediate Algebra Score: 35+
ASSET College Algebra Score: 26+
COMPASS Algebra Score: C 47+
COMPASS College Algebra Score: 16+
ACT Math Score: 18+
Complete a Basic Training Nursing Assistant Program and have passed the Illinois state certification exam.

Other requirements upon notification of conditional acceptance-see handbook

Degrees & Certificates in Nursing

ALLIED HEALTH DIVISION

NURSING - Degree

Associate in Applied Science Degree

The Nursing program is designed to provide a career mobility path for individuals interested in health care. The curriculum is a concept-based method of instruction emphasizing critical thinking, problem solving, decision making, clinical reasoning and nursing judgment. Graduates will be prepared to practice professional nursing in a variety of health care settings.

Students must achieve a grade of “C” or better in each course, as well as demonstrate competency in dosage calculations and math skills. The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation approves this program. Upon graduation, the student is eligible to apply to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). Students who prefer to test out at the practical nurse level may do so after completing the first two semesters of listed coursework and then completing NURS 1212 – Practical Nurse Role Development (4 credit hours).

► Total = 64 Hours

Clicking on a course code below shows you seat availabity and more information.

Prerequisites

ENGL 1101 Rhetoric and Composition I ¹ (3)

Competency in math (see admission requirements)

A criminal history background check & drug testing are required.

First Semester (17 Cr. Hrs.)

NURS 1200 Intro to Health Concepts (4)
NURS 1201 Intro to Health Concepts Clinical (1)
NURS 1202 Health – Illness Concepts (4)
NURS 1203 Health – Illness Concepts Clinical (2)
NURS 1204 Tools for Nursing Education (2)
ZOO 1105 Anatomy & Physiology I ¹, ² (4)

Second Semester (18 Cr. Hrs.)

NURS 1205 Family Health Concepts (3)
NURS 1206 Family Health Concepts Clinical (2)
NURS 1207 Holistic Health Concepts (3)
NURS 1208 Holistic Health Concepts Clinical (2)
NURS 1209 Pharmacology (4)
ZOO 1106 Anatomy & Physiology II ¹, ² (4)

Third Semester (13 Cr. Hrs.)

NURS 2212 Health Care Concepts (3)
NURS 2213 Health Care Concepts Clinical (2)
NURS 2214 Health Systems Concepts (3)
NURS 2215 Health Systems Concepts Clinical (2)
PSYC 2101 Intro to Psychology or
HECO 1201 Healthcare Psychology (3)

Fourth Semester (16-17 Cr. Hrs.)

MICR 1101 Basic Microbiology ² (4) or
MICR 1111 Microbiology ² (5)
NURS 2216 Complex Health Concepts (6)
NURS 2217 Complex Health Concepts Clinical (6)

¹ Prerequisite course(s) may be required based on test scores.

² ZOO 1105 & 1106 and MICR 1101 or 1111 must have been completed within the last five years.

LPN to RN BRIDGE

Licensed Practical Nurses interested in obtaining their associate degree in nursing may complete one, four hour course before enrolling in the second year of the Associate Degree coursework. All program requirements apply. The student must be accepted into the Nursing Program and have completed ZOO 1106 with a “C” or better within the last five years, prior to enrollment.

► Total = 29-30 Hours

Clicking on a course code below shows you seat availabity and more information.

Summer Semester (4 Cr. Hrs.)

NURS 1213 Intro to Health Concepts II (4)

Fall Semester (13 Cr. Hrs.)

NURS 2212 Health Care Concepts (3)
NURS 2213 Health Care Concepts Clinical (2)
NURS 2214 Health Systems Concepts (3)
NURS 2215 Health Systems Concepts Clinical (2)
PSYC 2101 Intro to Psychology or
HECO 1201 or Healthcare Psychology (3)

Spring Semester (16-17 Cr. Hrs.)

MICR 1101 Basic Microbiology 4 credits or
MICR 1111 or Microbiology 5 credits
NURS 2216 Complex Health Concepts 6 credits
NURS 2217 Complex Health Concepts Clinical 6 credits

PRACTICAL NURSING - Certificate

Students who prefer to test out at the practical nurse level may do so after completing two semesters of listed Associate Degree coursework and then completing NURS 1212.

► Total = 39 Hours

Clicking on a course code below shows you seat availabity and more information.

Prerequisites

ENGL 1101 Rhetoric and Composition I ¹ (3)

Competency in math (see admission requirements)

A criminal history background check & drug testing are required.

Each course in the curriculum must be completed with a grade of “C” or better to meet program requirements.

First Semester (17 Cr. Hrs.)

NURS 1200 Intro to Health Concepts (4)
NURS 1201 Intro to Health Concepts Clinical 1
NURS 1202 Health – Illness Concepts (4)
NURS 1203 Health – Illness Concepts Clinical (2)
NURS 1204 Tools for Nursing Education (2)
ZOO 1105 Anatomy & Physiology I ¹, ² (4)

Second Semester (18 Cr. Hrs.)

NURS 1205 Family Health Concepts (3)
NURS 1206 Family Health Concepts Clinical (2)
NURS 1207 Holistic Health Concepts (3)
NURS 1208 Holistic Health Concepts Clinical (2)
NURS 1209 Pharmacology (4)
ZOO 1106 Anatomy & Physiology II ¹, ² (4)

Summer Term (4 Cr. Hrs.)

NURS 1212 Practical Nurse Role Development (4)

¹ Prerequisite course(s) may be required based on test scores.

² ZOO 1105 & 1106 and MICR 1101 or 1111 must have been completed within the last five years.

Nursing Brochures

Associate Degree Nursing
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Freqently Asked Questions

Costs & Supplies

Handbook

Associate Degree Nursing Cost Sheet

NURS 1212 Cost Sheet

NURS 1213 Cost Sheet

Faculty & Staff

Nancy Buttry

Nursing Director

Phone Extension: 1706

Building: South Oasis

Office: 123

Sylvia Moore

Nursing Instructor

Building: South Oasis

Juliana Pickford

Nursing Instructor

Building: South Oasis

Susan Wiley

Nursing Instructor

Building: South Oasis

Allied Health Division
Phone: (618) 437-5321 Ext. 1251
Email:
Address: 468 N. Ken Gray Parkway, Ina, IL 62846 Attn: Allied Health
Fax Number: (618) 437-5677 Attn: Allied Health